JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Sheriff John Rutherford will share the very positive impact that citizens Prayer Walking their neighborhoods in Jacksonville has had on overall crime reduction in the City. The Sheriff will also share how concentrated prayer on the Panama Park area of our community has been correlated with verified reductions in criminality in that community. These findings are a basis for expanding the Adopt-Your-Street Prayer Walking Movement across the entire Jacksonville Metropolitan area.

Since its inception in 2009, this Prayer Walking Movement has progressively focused on “adopting” the over 15,000 streets of Duval County for prayer by residents who pray as they walk their own streets and neighborhoods. Residents walk and pray asking God’s blessings over their neighbors, inquiring of their needs and praying for their needs. They ask for God’s presence, peace and protection for the neighborhood. Prayer Walking is specifically patterned after the instructions Jesus gave to His followers in the Gospel of Luke Chapter 10 as follows:

Sheriff Rutherford wants to encourage this kind of “faith in action” as a powerful influence to bring peace and safety to all the neighborhoods and communities of the First Coast. Citizens who want to adopt their streets for prayer can go to www.pray4jax.com.

The prayer walking initiative is being facilitated by Transform Jacksonville and Northeast Florida, Inc., an interdenominational Christian movement. Its vision is for Northeast Florida to be a blessed, peaceful, prosperous community evidenced by strong families, high employment, high graduation rates, low crime and low poverty as a result of prayer walking neighborhoods, schools, and work places.

The press conference will be located at Panama Park, beginning at 10:00 am. Parking is at the corner of Buffalo Avenue and E. 59th Street, Jacksonville, FL 32208.